Nut-cracking machine



P. ROUSSILLON. NUT CRACKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED. MAR.- 6;. 1920.

Patented May 31, 1921;

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. ROUSSILLON.

v NUT CRACKINGMACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR, 6, 1920.

1,380,023.- v ya, 1921.

2 SHEET,SSHEET 2.

Iij

LUNITEE-DF STAT S rum orrics.

ZPHILIPIPE noUssILLoiv, or ARGENTEUIL, FRANCE, Assrcnon r0 SOGIETE Momma nus nmrmssnmnn'rs. A. omna, or crnrvnoivr-rnnneivn, rumor. 7

NUT-CRACKING. MAonI'nr...

To all whom'z'i? may concern:

Be itknown that I, PHILIPPE Roossrn- LON, citizen of the Republic of France, residin at Argenteuil, Seine and Oise, in the Repu lie of France, have invented'new. and

useful Improvements in Nut-Cracking Machlnes', of which the following is a'fspec fication. M a a This invention has for its object to provide an improved machine for'bre'akingthe' shells ofhard-shelled fruits such as palm nuts,

that is to say, breaking the shells without revolving around a horizontalshaft, and a One or the other of'these crushfixed wall. ing surfaces is conical, 'so that the two surfaces form a conical space becoming gradually smaller toward the bottom, and in which the nuts fall to a greater or less depth according to their size. One or other of the said surfaces has a helical portion which approaches gradually the other surface in such a manner The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example an improvedmachine constructed according to this invention. In these drawings Figure 1 is a, vertical cross section of the improved crushing machine. I

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan thereof.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of a pair of crushing surfaces.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively an elevation and a lan of a helical crushing surface.

In tlib example shown, the improved machine comprises two disks 4 with conical surfaces, fixed on a horizontal shaft 3, arranged inside a rectangular casing 2 mounted on a bed-plate 1. The disks 4 are formed on their conical surfaces with radial ribs 14 designed to carry the fruits to be crushed Specification of Letters Patent.

that the shells of the nutsv are squeezed and finally broken between the Patented May 31,1921.

Application filed lllliarch .c, 1920. seriaira'aeawe'.

against helical surfaces 15, 16, 17 18 5) formed on the vertical walls of the casing '2' which area t right angles I to: the shaft 3; Circular teeth or grooves 20, 20*(Fig. 4) concentric to the shafts 3, are formed on the helical surfaces and onthe 'conicalfaces of the disks 4. fThese grooves are intended topreventthe nuts from slipping and noving away from the axis of rotation during the crushing. The'fruitsto be crushed fall into the machine through a spout fed by a distributor not shown; 7

The improved machine is 'driven'by-means of pulleys 6 fixed on the end of a countershaft 13 supported in bearings 9 and- 10. The shaft 13 transmits its rotational 'motion to the shaft 3 through toothed wh eels 7 and 8.? The shaft 3 is carried in bearings 11 and 12. 'The last mentioned bearing is-provided withv astop collar for taking the thrusts due-to th'e crushing.

hopper, and descend by means of the distributer and the spout 5 into the conical spaces formed between the conical faces of the disks4 and the vertical walls of the casing 2. I v

The improved machine as shown comprises four crushing compartments. In each crushing group the fruits drop more or less closely to the center of the apparatus according to their size as shown at 19 (Fig. 5) for example, and the radial ribs 14 of the disk 4 carry helical surfaces 15,16,17, 18 provided on the vertical wall of the casing situated opposite the disk. The shell of each nut thus squeezed, then broken by the the generatrices of the conical disk toward those of the helical surface. The crushed fruits fall through'a hole provided for this purpose in the bed-plate. 7

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the constructional details described and shown, which are given solely by way of example. For instance, cylindrical disks may. be combined with conical helical surfaces for obtaining the same effects.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is; V v

1. A machine for breaking the shells of hard-shelled nuts comprising a fixed member and. a rotatable member adapted to ro- The fruits to be crushed are poured into a approach of 7 tate about a horizontal axis, said members having opposite cooperating faces and being so arranged that the width of the cracking chamber left between said faces decreases progressively toward the said axis, a helical projection on the face of the fixed member, means for feeding nuts to the top of the periphery of said cracking chamber and means for rotating the rotatable member.

2. A machine for breaking the shells of hard-shelled nutsjcomprising a fixed member and a rotatable'member'adapted to. ro-

tate about a horizontal axis, saidmembers having opposite cooperating faces and being so arranged that the width of the cracking chamber left between said faces decreases progressively toward the said axis, a helical projection on the face of the fixed member, means for feeding nuts to the top of the periphery of said cracking chamber, circular teeth on the active faces of said members, radially arranged ribs on the rotatable member and means forrotating said member.

3. A machine for breaking the shells of hard shellednuts comprising fixed members and a rotatable disk mounted in the space between said fixed members, the two'opposite faces of which are adapted to cooperate with the corresponding faces of the fixed members, respectively, said members being so arranged that the width of the cracking chambers left between the cooperating faces decreases progressively toward the horizontal axis of the rotatable disk, a helical projection on the faces of said fixed members, means for feeding nuts to the top of the periphery of said cracking chambers and means for rotating the disk.

4. A machine for breaking the shells of hard shelled nuts comprising a plurality of fixed members, coaxial rotatable disks in the intervals between said fixed members, the two opposite faces of each disk being adapted' to cooperate with the corresponding active facesof the fixed members and form a cracking chamber therewith, respectively, and the fixed member between the disks having active faces on both sides, said members being so arranged that the width of said cracking chambers decreases progressively toward the axis of the rotatable disks, a helical projection on one of the cooperating faces in each pair, means for feeding nuts to the top of the periphery of the cracking chambers, a common shaft supporting the rotatable disks and means for rotating said shaft. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

PHILIPPE ROUSSILLON. 

